Happiness Used to be When the Sun Went Down

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The laughter around the dusk campsite was carrying for miles. Good-natured fun, kids giggling, mothers only half-hearted with their berating. Sunset in this remote camp was the best part of the day. Everyone was relaxed and food was about to be shared. There was no television to schedule the evening and bedtime was when you … Read more

What Was I Thinking?

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I’m not sure what got into my head back in High School, but I decided to do a prank at school for some reason. A bomb hoax seemed a good idea. My telephone announcement to the South Perth police went something like this: “There’s a bomb at Wesley College, and if you want to know … Read more

Is It Friyay Yet?

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At the end of the week, it’s not unusual to be greeted with an email that we’ve made it to Friday (scathed or unscathed). There is a sense of relief or a subtext that things will be better tomorrow – Saturday – when we forget about work for at least a couple of days. Then … Read more

Depends on Your Perspective

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My first linguist job was at Strelley Station during a Uni vacation when I spent three-plus months living in a remote community learning the indigenous language. It was a hot summer in the outback – no air conditioning, rudimentary shelter and water had to be carted from the overhead tank each day. I’d learnt the … Read more

We Thought It Was A Prank

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A part of us all thought the Will Smith-Chris Rock event was a prank. There are fewer of us now, but some still believe it was. The Oscars is a dying genre, so it needed a bit of pep, and after all, any publicity is good publicity. Am I right? It wouldn’t surprise if the … Read more

🎉 April Fools Day Has Been Cancelled 🎉

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You don’t hear about office pranks much these days. There used to be a bit of fun having a clever office prank. What’s happened? Probably because the fun was one way and office pranks typically have a victim. (They’re described as hapless.) It’s a danger zone. The office prank can be the most harmless prank … Read more

What Did You Say?

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Want to know my number one Team Leader issue?!? It’s something that I need to fix just about every week. It is …… How people speak to each other. Often, it’s just the tone. Sometimes it’s a harsh sentence, or it could be an unthinking accusation. It can be just the use of the wrong … Read more

Wartime | Peacetime Leaders

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There are wartime leaders and peacetime leaders. A Curtin versus a Whitlam. A Julius Caesar versus an Augustus. Wartime leaders appear to need a high degree of organisation, cooperation and appeasement. Peacetime leaders appear to need mildness and a sense of clemency. (Source: Sapiens by Yuval Harari) During the pandemic, organisations needed their equivalent of … Read more

Step Forward the Comic

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😂 I find great humour in so many things and that’s healthy. 🤣 Comics bring joy. They also bring perspective. They apply a different lens to many things. 🧬 The essence of humour is the ability to combine two unrelated aspects. 💡 Enlightenment occurs when contrasts occur. 💭 So it’s not surprising that many comics … Read more

That’s Not Part of My Remit

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There’s nothing more restricting to a worker’s career growth than restricting themselves to the literal interpretation of their job description. “Sorry, that’s outside my scope.” “It’s not within my remit.” “Not in my Job Description.” 🚷 These reactions limit the growth of the worker, and they are also unhelpful for the other person who is … Read more